Portable soft-light assembly

ABSTRACT

A PORTABLE SOFT-LIGHT ASSEMBLY INCLUDES A COLLAPSIBLE FRAME WHICH HAS A LIGHT SOURCE HOUSING AS AN INTEGRAL PART THEREOF, AND A REMOVABLE REFLECTOR ENVELOPE WHICH IS MOUNTABLE ON THE FRAME. THE COLLAPSIBLE FRAME INCLUDES A PAIR OF FOLDABLE SUPPORTING MEMBERS HAVING A FOLDED POSITION AND AN UNFOLDED POSITION WHICH SUPPORTING MEMBERS PROVIDE A DESIRED SUPPORTING CONTOUR IN THE UNFOLDED POSITION. THE SUPPORTING MEMBERS ARE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE LIGHT SOURCE HOUSING IN SPACED APART RELATION. THE REFLECTOR ENVELOPE IS REMOVABLY MOUNTABLE ON THE SUPPORTING MEMBERS IN THE UNFOLDED POSITION THEREOF, AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMS TO THE SUPPORTING CONTOUR WHEN SO MOUNTED. THE LIGHT SOURCE DIRECTS THE LIGHT TOWARD THE INTERIOR OF THE RELECTOR ENVELOPE WHICH DIFFUSES THE LIGHT. LIGHT PATTERN CONTROLLING   MEANS, SUCH AS &#34;BARNS DOORS&#34; CAN BE REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME TO CONTROL THE PATTERN OF THE DIFFUSED LIGHT.

Jan. 23, 1973 a. LOWELL PORTABLE SOFT-LIGHT ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 30, 1970 United States Patent O 3,712,978 PORTABLE SOFT-LIGHT ASSEMBLY Ross Lowell, 60 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. 10024 Filed Sept. 30, 1970, Ser. No. 76,716 Int. Cl. G031) /02 US. Cl. 240-15 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable soft-light assembly includes a collapsible frame which has a light source housing as an integral part thereof, and a removable reflector envelope which is mountable on the frame. The collapsible frame includes a pair of foldable supporting members having a folded position and an unfolded position which supporting members provide a desired supporting contour in the unfolded position. The supporting members are pivotally connected to the light source housingin spaced apart relation. The reflector envelope is removably mountable on the supporting members in the unfolded position thereof, and substantially conforms to the supporting contour when so mounted. The light source directs the light toward the interior of the reflector en-- velope which diffuses the light. Light pattern controlling means, such as barn doors can be removably mounted on the frame to control the pattern of the diffused light.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to a collapsible portable soft-light assembly for use in photography.

Description of the prior art In photography, especially in portrait photography or commercial advertising, television, and motion pictures, much of the time it is necessary to go on location to photograph desired subjects and reproduce shadowless natural light. In such instances, when it is desired to produce scattered, non-directional, diffused light, softlighting is required.

Conventional soft-lighting is presently provided by rather cumbersome assemblies constructed of materials such as sheet metal. These structures are not readily portable and create considerable difliculty in transporting these soft-lights to desired locations. To date, the known constructions for these soft-light assemblies have been relatively large, heavy, bulky, cumbersome devices which are particularly diflicult to ship and/or transport. Furthermore, the size, shape and construction of these known assemblies to which the invent-ion relates are particularly difficult and expensive to transport by air when time is of the essence. In addition, the storage of these assemblies, when not in use, has been a chronic problem due to their bulk.

Some prior art attempts to overcome these difiiculties have involved the use of what is commonly termed reflective umbrellas." However, these umbrella assemblies do not normally contain integrally mounted light sources and these light sources, which are also cumbersome, must be packed and carried separately from the balance of the umbrella assembly. In addition, prior art soft-light assemblies, especially those of the umbrella type, do not contain devices which are capable of limiting the amount and direction of light emanating from the soft-light assembly, such as what is commonly known in the photographic industry as barn doors. When such devices are contained in a conventional soft-light assembly, these devices are not readily removable and add to the cumbersomeness and bulk of the assembly. Such devices provide desirable features which enable the photographer to create a variety of lighting environments, which encompass intensity, spread and quality of light, from a single light source and their omission from the soft-light assembly due to their added bulk limits the options of the user.

Prior art soft-light assemblies, furthermore, are not normally capable of interchanging the reflectors used therewith in order to vary the type of soft-lighting environment provided from the soft-light assembly and therefore only one such environment can be provided. These disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A portable soft-light assembly is provided which includes a collapsible frame which has a light source housing as an integral part thereof, and a removable reflector envelope which is mountable on the frame. The collapsible frame includes a foldable supporting member having a first position and a second position, which supporting member has a desired supporting contour in the second position. The supporting member is integrally connected to the light source housing. The reflector envelope is removably mountable on the supporting member in the second position thereof and substantially conforms to the desired supporting contour when so mounted. The

reflector envelope has a reflecting surface portion in the BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiiment of the present invention with the frame in the open position with the reflector removed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the frame in the collapsed position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the frame in the open position with the reflector in place; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 of an alternative embodiment thereof.

3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in detail, and especially to FIG. 1 thereof. The portable assembly of the present invention generally referred to by the reference numeral 10, includes a light source mounting member or elongated support member 12, having a front portion 14 and a pair of opposite side portions 16 and 18. As shown and preferred, the lamp housing 12 is a hollow substantially rectangular configuration, although other configurations may be utilized if desired. The front portion 14 of the lamp housing 12 preferably includes a pair of high intensity lamps 20 and 22, such as tungsten-halogen lamps manufactured by the Sylvania Electric Company, which are removably mountable, as by socket interconnection, on reflective backings 24 and 26, such as of aluminum, respectively. The reflective backings 24 and 26 increase the efficiency of the lamps 20 and 22, respectively, and may be omitted if such reflective efficiency is not desired. Furthermore, although a pair of lamps 20 and 22 is shown and preferred, any desired quantity of lamps, including a single such lamp may be utilized if desired. As shown and preferred in FIG. 1, the lamps 20 and 22, which are preferably of equal intensity, are evenly spaced from the side portions 16 and 18, respectively.

Preferably, a pair of supporting members, generally referred to by the reference numerals 28 and 30, respectively are pivotally mounted on each side portions 16 and 18, respectively, of the lamp housing 12. Each supporting members 28 and 30, respectively, preferably includes a pair of supporting bars 32 and 34, and 36 and 38, respectively, which are pivotally mounted on the respective side portions 16 and 18 of the lamp housing 12, and to each other, through a common pivotal mounting 40 and 42, respectively, so as to preferably be pivotal through an angle of substantially 180 from a closed or folded position, to an open or unfolded position and vice-versa. As shown and preferred, each supporting member 28 and 30, respectively, includes a substantially curvilinear portion 44 and 46, respectively. Preferably, the curvilinear portion 44 and 46 each includes a pair of pivotally connected substantially curvilinear sections 48 and 50, and 2 and 54, respectively.

Preferably, curvilinear sections 48 and 50 are pivotally connected together at point 56 and curvilinear sections 52 and 54 are pivotally connected together at point 58. In addition, curvilinear section 48 is preferably pivotally connected at its opposite end to the outer end 60 of supporting bar 32, and curvilinear section 50 is pivotally connected at its opposite end to the outer end 62 of supporting bar 34, thereby forming three pivotal connections for the curvilinear portion 44 in addition to the single pivotal connection 40 for the supporting bars 32 and 34 of the supporting member 28. This facilitates the portability and collapsibility of the supporting member 28 and, hence, assembly in a manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter. Similarly, curvilinear sections 52 and 54 which are pivotally connected together at point 58 have their respective opposite ends pivotally connected to the outer ends 64 and 66, respectively, of supporting bars 36 and 38, respectively, to provide three pivotal connections 58, 64, and 66 for the curvilinear portions 46 in addition to the single pivotal connection 42 for the supporting bars 36 and 38 of the supporting member 30. This facilitates the portability and collapsibility of the supporting members 30 and, hence, assembly 10 in a manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter. As shown and preferred in FIG. 1, in the open or unfolded position, the supporting members 28 and 30 substantially form bow or D-shaped supporting contours for a purpose to be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Preferably, the pivotal mounting 42 for the supporting member 30 includes a hollow sleeve 68 through which a power cord 70 for supplying the power to the lamps 20 and 22 is drawn. In addition, as shown and preferred, supporting bars 32, 34, 36 and 38 each have a fastening strip 72, 74, 76 and 78, respectively, secured thereto such as a Velcro strip, for removable securement of a reflector envelope 80 (FIGS. 3 and 4) thereto in a manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter.

A substantially -U-shaped mounting bracket 82 is preferably pivotally connected to the sides 16 and 18 of the lamp housing 12 points 40 and 42. The -U-shaped bracket 82 is preferably provided with a sleeve portion 84 at the center thereof for securement of the soft-lighting assernbly 10 to a base (not shown) such as a tripod or overhead pipe or beam (not shown).

As shown and preferred in FIG. 3, the reflector envelope 80 preferably conforms to the supporting contour of the supporting members 28 and 30 as determined by the substantially curvilinear portions 44 and 46. Preferably, reflector envelope 80 has an outer portion 86 having a center portion 88 and a pair of side portions 90 and 92 which substantially conform to the contour of the supporting members 28 and 30. The interior of the side portions 90 and 92 preferably contains fastening strips (FIG. 3) which are mateable with the corresponding fastening strips 72, 74, 76 and 78 so as to removably mount the reflector envelope 80 on the supporting members 28 and 30.

Preferably, the interior of the reflector envelope 80 is lined or formed of a reflective material, such as aluminized Mylar if bright light is desired, satin rayon if bright white light is desired, or blue tinted aluminized Mylar or satin rayon if it is desired to use the soft-light assembly 10 of the present invention indoors with outdoor film. The reflective materials may be any desired material depending on the desired light intensity and pattern and is not limited to those previously enumerated by way of example. For example, the use of a blue tinted reflective material balances the light for daylight film as natural daylight is normally bluer than the light provided by the lamps 20 and 22. Other useful reflective materials are, for example, fiber glass, vinyl, nylon, etc. metallized and unmetallized.

Preferably, the reflector envelope 80 is only mountable on the supporting members 28 and 30 in the unfolded or open position thereof by fitting the envelope 80 over the D-shaped supporting members 28 and 30 and fastening the sides 90 and 92 thereof to the respective supporting bars 32 and 34, and 36 and 38. In addition, preferably the reflector envelope 80 is formed of a material which is easily foldable when removed from the supporting members 28 and 30 and which will substantially retain its properties when unfolded for use, so as to facilitate the portability of the soft-light assembly of the present invention. As shown and preferred, the reflector envelope 80 is mounted on the supporting members 28 and 30 so as to be substantially concave to the lamps 20 and 22 so that the reflective interior of the reflector envelope 80 will intersect the light path directed from the lamps 20 and 22 and increase the size of the area which the intersected light impinges upon, and thereby softens the light.

OPERATION For purposes of explanation, we shall assume that the assembly 10 is in the collapsed or folded position shown in FIG. 2, in which position it is readily portable. In order to utilize this assembly 10 for providing soft-light, which is scattered, non-directional, diffused light which provides soft shadows and highlights as opposed to the hard shadows provided from a hard or direct light, the supporting bars 32 and 34, and 36 and 38 are pivoted substantially to the open or unfolded position, as shown in FIG. 1. The suppoorting bars 32 and 34, and 36 and 38 are locked in the open position preferably by means of conventional slide clamps 94, 96, 98 and 100, respectively.

If desired, other conventional locking means may be utilized.

As the supporting bars 32 and 34, and 36 and 38 are pivoted to the open or unfolded position, this causes the respective curvilinear sections 48 and 50, and 52 and 54 to pivot from a folded position, such as the wishbone" configuration shown in FIG. 2, to the unfolded bow or D- shaped configuration shown in FIG. 1, so as to provide the supporting contour for the reflector envelope 80. The side clamps 94 and 96 which lock the supporting bars 32 and 34 of the supporting member 28 in the unfolded position also lock curvilinear portion 44 in the supporting contour position, such as shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, the pivoting of supporting bars 36 and 38 causes curvilinear sections 52 and 54 to pivot to the supporting contour position in which they are locked by the action of side clamps 98 and 100 which lock the supporting bars 36 and 38 in the unfolded position.

The desired reflector envelope 80, dependent upon the desired light intensity and pattern, is then rmfolded, placed over the supporting members 28 and 30, which in the example shown, forms D-shaped supporting contours, and secured thereto by means of the Velcro strips 72, 74, 76 and 78. The lamps 20 and 22, as was previously mentioned, are so mounted in relation to the reflector envelope 80 so as to direct the light therefrom towards the reflective interior of the reflector envelope 80 from which it is bounced back, diffused or scattered to the subject so as to provide soft-light thereto.

The power cord 70 is connected to the source of power (not shown) in order to supply power to the lamps 20 and 22. If desired, a switch (not shown) can be included in the lamp housing 12 for regulating the supply of power to the lamps 20 and 22.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. 4, if desired, accessories may be removably mounted on the collapsible frame of the portable assembly in order to control the pattern of the light provided therefrom and/or shield the lens of the camera (not shown) with which the photograph is taken. Conventional barn doors 102 and 104, which are pivotally mounted light masks are pivotally mounted between each of the supporting bar outer ends 60 and 64, and 62 and 66, respectively, so as to each be pivotal substantially through 180 from a fully open position through various intermediate positions, to a fully closed position in which substantially all the light emanating from the assembly 10 is blocked. Preferably, the inner surface of the barn doors 102 and 104 is blackened so as to minimize light scatter in the direction of the location of the respective barn doors 102 and 104.

In addition, light blinders 106 and 108 may be mounted on the opened or unfolded supporting bar pairs 32-34 and 36-38, respectively, in order to either minimize side-scatter of the diffused light provided from the assembly 10 or to intensify the diffused light being provided therefrom. If it is desired to minimize side-scatter, then the inner surface of the blinders 106 and 108 is preferably blackened; whereas, if it is desired to intensify the diffused light, a reflective material is provided for the inner surface of the blinders 106 and 108.

The barn doors 102 and 104 and the blinders 106 and 108 may be pivotally mounted on the assembly 10 by any conventional means such as screw clamps. The barn doors 102 and 104 may remain on the assembly 10, if desired, when the assembly 10 is collapsed to the preferred folded portable position shown in FIG. 2.

By utilizing the soft-light assembly of the present invention, an assembly having an interchangable reflector mountable on a collapsible frame which contains an integrally mounted light source is provided in a simple, efficient readily portable structure. Furthermore, a variety of light intensities and patterns may be provided from such a single portable soft-light assembly.

It is to be understood that the above described embodiments of the invention are merely illustrative of the principles thereof and that numerous modifications and embodiments of the invention may be derived within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable soft-light assembly comprising a collapsible frame member including a light source mounting member, a pair of foldable spaced apart supporting members each having a first position and a second position, means for connecting said supporting members to said light source mounting member at opposite ends thereof, and light source means mountable on said mounting member; and

a reflector envelope having a reflecting surface portion,

said envelope being removably mountable in a mounted position on said supporting members in said second position thereof and forming a substantially closed housing surrounding said light source in said mounted position with said reflecting surface portion comprising the interior of said housing, said housing being open at only one portion thereof for directly diffusing substantially all of the light provided from said light source.

2. An assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said assembly further includes light pattern controlling means removably mountable on one of said supporting members in said second position for controlling the pattern of said diffused light.

3. An assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said reflecting surface portion is comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of aluminized Mylar, satin rayon, blue tinted aluminized. Mylar, and blue tinted satin rayon.

4. An assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said supporting members are each pivotally connected to said ends of said light source mounting member.

5. An assembly in accordance with claim 4, wherein said assembly is connectable to a power source for said light source through said pivotal connection for one of said supporting members.

6. An assembly in accordance with claim 4, wherein one of said supporting members includes a pair of supporting bars pivotally connected together at one end thereof, said one end being pivotally connected to said light source mounting member for movement between said first and said second position, each of said bars having another en 7. An assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein said one supporting member includes a substantially curvilinear portion, said curvilinear portion comprising a pair of pivotally connected substantially curvilinear sections pivotally connected together at one end thereof for movement between said first and second position, said reflector envelope being removably mountable on said curvilinear portion in said second position, said sections each having another end, said other end of each section of said pair being pivotally connected to a different one of said other ends of said supporting bars.

8. An assembly in accordance with claim ,7, wherein both of said supporting members are substantially identical.

9. An assembly in accordance with claim 4, wherein one of said supporting members includes a substantially curvilinear portion, said curvilinear portion comprising a pair of pivotally connected substantially curvilinear sections pivotally connected together at one end thereof for movement between said first and said second position, said reflector envelope being removably mountable on said curvilinear portion in said second position.

10. An assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said housing interior forms a substantially concave contour with respect to said light source for said reflecting surface portion in said mounted position of said reflector envelope.

8 11. A portable soft-light assembly comprising 12. An assembly in accordance with claim 11 wherein a collapsible unitary frame member including a light said reflector envelope is flexible.

source mounting member, a foldable supporting member having a first position and a second position, References Cited means for connecting said supporting member to said 5 light source mounting member, and light source UNITED STATES PATENTS means mountable on said mounting m m and 923,542 1/ 1909 Losey 240-1.3 UX a reflector envelope having a reflecting surface portion, 1,225,261 5/1917 M c dl 240-13 X said envelope being removably mountable in a 1,960,722 5/1934 Ald 240 1,3 X mounted position on said supporting member in i 10 2,205,860 6/1940 Olds 240-13 second position thereof and forming a substan lly 2,913,569 11/ 1959 Edelstein 2401.3 closed housing surrounding said light sou ce i S 3,406,404 10/ 19-68 Maier 343'9'15 mounted position with said reflecting surface portion comprising the interior of said housing, said housing LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner being open at only one portion thereof for directly 15 diffusing substantially all of the light provided from US. Cl. X.R. said light source. 248-345 

